A New Day Has Come
by EgoVixitVivit
Summary: What happened to Silena after she died? This is a oneshot about her journey to the Underworld, as she tries to make peace with her betrayal and what she has done. Based off of Celine Dion's "A New Day Has Come." Silena/Charlie


"I can see Charlie," I said, watching as his face called me towards him. I knew most people saw a "light" when they died—or at least so they thought—but I saw him. He was telling me it would be all right. Everything would be ok; this pain would end. Tears fell from my eyes and covered my marred face. My eyes closed, and I felt myself fade from the Earth. The voices around me were silenced as my spirit left my body.

At first, I felt nothing. It was as if I was in a deep, dreamless sleep. I didn't know my own name, I couldn't recall what happened, Hades, I didn't even know that the world existed. It was just complete silence. Nothing.

But suddenly, I felt myself coming to, the way you feel when you are trying to wake up from a less than perfect night of sleep. I felt groggy, and for a minute, I couldn't distinguish where I was.

When I looked around though, I recognized where I was, even though it was obvious I had never before been there. I was in the waiting room at DOA Recording Studios, otherwise known as the place where you wait to enter the Underworld.

I took a quick look at the other spirits in the room. Most of them appeared to be either weary-looking adults or children. They obviously couldn't pay to get across the Styx, as they hadn't been properly prepared.

Then again, neither had I. I doubted any of my fellow heroes had thought to leave me with a drachma. Of course, if my body was recovered for shroud burning, they could do it then. But that would only happen if the Olympians won and if they had my body. If they even wanted to recognize me as a hero.

I wasn't a hero. I was a coward. I had fallen for Luke's charm, and then repaid my friends by selling them out. They probably hated me. I knew I would've hated myself if I was in their position. Actually, to be honest, I already hated myself.

Why? I had let everyone down. I caused the death of so many. I sold out Percy and Annabeth, the two who had worked so hard to win this war. They had been fighting for our camp for four years nonstop. They deserved to win. They deserved to live through this. The deserved to have the chance to be together, like we always thought they would be.

Together, like Beckendorf and I. The worst mistake I ever made was letting him die. No death mattered as much to me as his did. But he probably would never take me back. And why should he? I don't deserve anyone as amazing as him. Not after what I've done. I was the reason he died.

So basically, I felt terrible guilt weighing down my usually carefree and loving heart. It was like someone was squeezing me so tight that the air couldn't enter my lungs; like I was sinking into the deep, choppy ocean, and I was breathing in salt water that stung my throat all the way down, until I eventually drowned. I couldn't help but feel like my own guilt was depriving me of life, even though I was already dead.

I decided I couldn't sit in this waiting room any more. Sure, I was deceased, but I was still a late half blood, and I still had ADHD, even in the afterlife. I needed to get out of here, quickly.

_"Check your pocket," _said a voice inside my head. I tried to ignore the fact that it sounded exactly like Charlie. I didn't want to believe it couldn't be him, but I didn't want to get my hopes up just for rejection, either.

Regardless of my fears, I checked my pocket. My fingers curled around something, and when I pulled it out, I saw that it was a dekadrachm, a special type of coin that was worth ten drachmas. On the first side, it had an owl and an olive sprig. The second side had a picture of Athena. It was obviously a very old coin, because now, all drachmas had the Empire State Building printed on one side. This coin had to be from ancient Athens—or at least I assumed.

I silently thanked whoever had given me this miracle. In my head, I wanted to thank Beckendorf, but since I didn't know it was him for sure, I thanked the person as "anonymous."

I walked up to Charon, and very politely said, "Excuse me, Mr. Charon, sir, but I need to get across the River Styx."

He didn't even look up from his magazine. "No payment, no ride."

"Oh, but, sir, I have this," I said, placing the dekadrachm on the podium in front of him.

He looked at it closely, inspecting it to see if it was fake. When he was satisfied in its legitimateness, he gave me a green boarding pass and told me to get in line.

I stood near the back of the large group of ghosts who were all carrying the coveted boarding pass. After a few minutes, Charon came over and loaded as all into the elevator.

It lurched several times, changing directions from going down to going sideways. Before I could even register what had happened, the elevator changed into a boat. We were crossing the Styx. I watched as Charon's Italian suit changed to a dark black robe. I looked down at myself, just in time to watch my war-appropriate outfit change into a dark robe as well.

The part of me that was definitely Aphrodite's was thinking, _my other outfit was much cuter than this dreary, black, shapeless robe._ Luckily, the practical side of me took over, and I soon forgot about the robe's unattractiveness.

Soon, the boat got to the shore, and I filed off with the other ghosts. One of the spirits was a little girl. She didn't have any hair, and I realized that she must've been a cancer patient. She was clutching a hospital "get-well-soon" teddy bear tightly in her little arms, and she was looking around with confusion in her eyes.

The other ghosts walked past her, not even giving her a glance. But I knew she needed help; she was much too young to understand the Underworld's process.

I walked up to her slowly and crouched over to her level. "Hi, I'm Silena. What's your name?" I asked her.

She looked a bit afraid at first, as if her mind was screaming _"Stranger Danger!" _Eventually, though, her face softened and she replied, "I'm Sophie."

"And how old are you, Sophie?" It didn't really matter how old she was, but I just figured it would be wise to know.

"I'm this many," she said, holding up five fingers.

My heart melted. Here was a five year old girl, completely innocent. Yet she had to live—probably most of her life—with cancer. And I had been a traitor, but I still lived to be much older than she did.

"Would you . . . Would you like me to help you get through the line?" I asked, pointing to the three lines ahead of us.

"Yes, please. I don't know where I am. I need help."

I took her hand in mine and started walking, until I realized that I had a problem. I wanted to take Sophie to Judgment, since occasionally, cancer patients get into Elysium. However, if I went through Judgment, there was a chance they would send me to the Fields of Punishment.

I thought it over for a minute, but when I looked at Sophie again, I knew that she deserved her chance in Elysium. So, instead of taking the EZ DEATH line, I went in the line that led to the Judgment Pavilion.

"Ok, now when we get to the front of this line, I'm going to send you into the pavilion. There are a few people in there. They're just going to ask you some questions, and then direct you to a line. The line you stand in will lead you to your new home," I said, trying to explain the process to her.

"Can you come in with me?" She asked.

"No, I'm sorry. We have to go one at a time. So you will go in, and then, when you leave, I will go in."

The line barely crawled forward, but eventually, we got close to the front. I spotted Michael Yew in line and talked with him for a minute, but it was a quick conversation, because he had to be judged.

A few minutes following that, we were at the head of the line.

"Ok, Sophie, you can do this, ok? I promise, it'll all be ok."

"I believe you, Silena," she said, right before they called for the next person.

I sent her into the pavilion.

I was sitting in the Judgment Pavilion, waiting to hear my verdict. Would I be in the Fields of Punishment? Asphodel? Elysium?

One of the judges said, "Silena Beauregard, daughter of Aphrodite, will permanently reside in . . . Elysium."

I was shocked. I wasn't a hero, I was a traitor. I didn't deserve Elysium. But before I could even form a response, they pushed me out of the room and into the line marked "ELYSIUM RESIDENTS."

After taking a minute to let my mind comprehend what just happened, I vaguely remembered Sophie, and how I didn't know where they had placed her. My eyes ran up the line, looking for her. I almost missed her, because she was so short, but I finally spotted her in the Elysium line, just as I had hoped.

She must've felt like someone was watching her, because she turned around and looked at me. When she grasped that it was me she saw, she smiled and waved. Then, she let the people between us "cut her" in line.

"Silena! You're coming with me to Elysi- Elysa-" She couldn't pronounce 'Elysium.'

"Yeah, I am! We can hang out all the time now."

Then, it registered in my painfully slow mind that a five year old couldn't live in her own house. I didn't have a place to stay in Elysium either.

I didn't mention this to her, because I didn't want to worry her. I decided I would make sure we both a places to stay.

When we finally made it in to the gated community, I only made it seven steps before I was enveloped in a hug, by none other than . . .

"Charlie?" I asked, both surprised that he didn't hate me and elated to be near him again.

"Silena, I've missed you so much!" He said, hugging me even tighter.

When he put me down, I asked, "But don't you . . . Don't you hate me? For what I did?"  
"I couldn't hate you. I don't hate you. You are my hero, Silena."

"Really?" I asked, tearing up at his words.

"Yes, really. And, I was wondering if you'd like to stay in my house with me, since you probably don't have one for yourself."

I looked over at Sophie, who was quietly watching our conversation. "I'd love to, Charlie. But can Sophie come too?" I asked. Then I whispered in his ear, "I don't think she has anywhere else to go."

"Sure, the more the merrier," he replied with a smile.

Once we settled in, which didn't take long, Beckendorf took me to the backyard, which was decently sized and secluded.

"Charlie, I'm so happy to be with you again. I missed you so much," I said, with fresh tears in my eyes.

"I missed you too," he whispered in my ear. "Would you like to dance?" He asked me, leading me to the center of the moonlight yard.

"But there's no music."

"We don't need music," he said. I liked his logic. I laid my head on his chest and he held me close as we swayed back and forth.

Before I knew it, I began to quietly sing to myself.

"I was waiting for so long  
For a miracle to come  
Everyone told me to be strong  
Hold on and don't shed a tear

Through the darkness and good times  
I knew I'd make it through  
And the world thought I had it all  
But I was waiting for you

Hush, love

I see a light in the sky  
Oh, it's almost blinding me  
I can't believe  
I've been touched by an angel with love  
Let the rain come down and wash away my tears  
Let it fill my soul and drown my fears  
Let it shatter the walls for a new, new sun  
A new day has...come

Where it was dark now there's light  
Where there was pain now there's joy  
Where there was weakness, I found my strength  
All in the eyes of a boy

Hush, love

I see a light in the sky  
Oh, it's almost blinding me  
I can't believe  
I've been touched by an angel with love  
Let the rain come down and wash away my tears  
Let it fill my soul and drown my fears  
Let it shatter the walls for a new, new sun  
A new day has...come"

Charlie looked deeply into my eyes. "That was beautiful."

"I love you. So, so very much," I said with complete honesty.

I heard passion in his voice when he said, "I love you too, Silena. So much."

AN: Was it good? Bad? I've never written Silena/Charlie before, so let me know how I did. Also, if you didn't read the song lyrics, you really should. They're very cute. The Song is "A New Day Has Come" by Celine Dion. Listen to it, it's really beautiful.


End file.
